You've Got Questions, I've Got Answers

For Kasey:
1. I love having my fashion blog combined with this blog. I swear I will post something fashiony very soon!
2. I have 2 girls, Maddie 15 and Emma will be 8 in less than a month. I love having the age difference between the girls. It's like raising 2 only children with all of the benefits of having siblings.
3. Sleepwear- Well this time of year in the Midwest you know it's all about warmth so you will probably find me in flannel sock monkey pj's. When the weather warms my favorite thing to sleep in is boxers and a tank top.

For Paige:
What a tough question! I had a really hard time coming up with an answer. If I could have lunch with one famous person (or maybe not so famous) whom I've never met: I considered a few answers, Harry Connick, Jr. just because he's so yummy, Ina Garten because she is my culinary hero and she would, of course, cook me the lunch, Jenny Doh, editor of Somerset Magazine because she is surrounded by such creativity (and is so creative herself) every day and I think she would be so inspirational but I couldn't come up with just one amazing person that popped right into my head.

For Kim:
I found the large matchboxes at my local Super Target in the section by the paper plates!

For Karlene:
The creative thing that I haven't learned that I would like to learn would probably be drawing. Maddie is an excellent drawer. I will show you guys some pictures of her work soon.

For C Maisy:
1. Looking back on my life I can see that I have always been creative in one way or another. My mother says to tell you that I was not creative enough. She is just jealous that Emma is so completely into being creative and I came out of my creative shell more after I left home. Sorry Mom!
2. What inspires me? Everything! Blogs, Somerset magazines, nature, looking at things with an artist's eye helps you to see things that might at first seem ordinary.
3. Who inspires me? People who go for their dreams, leaping feet first, not considering that they might fail, but who just follow their hearts and see where it leads them.

For Bre:
I usually find out about swaps by reading the blogs of creative people I admire.

For Dani:
I tried scrapbooking and I think I was pretty good at it but I think traditional scrapbooking just isn't my thing. I'm currently looking for a way to gather all of my pictures together and tell a story in a simpler, lessy fussy way. I absolutely adore buying the supplies though. I think that is what got me into scrapbooking to begin with!

For Tara:
1. I met my husband at the 30th birthday party of my best high school friend. He was playing bass in her hubby's garage band and they played at the party. He was the first & only person I've ever met who could keep up with my sassy mouth and lucky for him all these years later, it is still a big part of what he adores about me. We were married 7 months later when he bravely took on the roll of instant dad and new husband and we have adored each other almost every day since!
2. Some of my previous jobs have been telemarketer for Olan Mills, Dispatcher for a trucking company, business office manager for a medical office, office manager for an IT company and my all time least favorite project coordinator for a big 5 financial firm. Hated it. Still have nightmares about it. My favorite job is the one I have now, full time wife and mom and creative person. The pay isn't much but the benefits are fantastic.
3. My favorite simple pleasure would either be cuddling on the sofa with my family, a roaring fire, a cat in my lap and a good book or magazine to read while music from the 40's plays softly in the background or cooking dinner with my hubby on a Saturday night, drinking wine, laughing and fending off his amorous passes while music from the 40's plays softly in the background.

For Kristi:
How do I organize my thoughts for such great blog posts? Ha! You're assuming I do! Well, if I have a post idea that I want to remember I will start a new post and jot down my ideas and title and save it for later. I have lots of saved post ideas that I hope to get to one day!

For Ashley:
1. The best thing about my parents? My mom is the person responsible for instilling in me a love of all things creative and domestic. Obviously that is a huge part of my life & I owe her a great debt for that. My dad was instrumental in teaching me to be independent, he insisted I be able to take care of myself and, in his words, not have to rely on a man for anything. I think that is what gave me the courage to finally divorce my first husband and not only survive but thrive because of it.
2. What have I tried to do in my own life as a mother that I learned from my parents? To love my children wholly and unconditionally.
3. I do not play any musical instruments although I have a baby grand piano sitting behind me right now. I have been considering having Sweet Hubby teach me to play the acoustic guitar though and it's not just because I want the Hello Kitty guitar.

For Cathy:
No, I didn't get nearly what I asked for on my wishlist nor did I expect to. What fun would life be if we got everything we wanted? I'd rather get some of what I want and dream about the rest. I'm a true dreamer.

My camera is a Fuji FinePix S5200. It's a good inexpensive (all things being relative) camera and I've been pretty happy with it but my heart yearns for a canon and when I don't mind dropping $700-$1,000 for one, my dream will come true!

For Lulu:
No wrapping center here, but wouldn't that be wonderful? I keep all my wrap and bags organized and then I shop in my studio for fun embellishments to add to them.

For all of the people that asked:
I find my San Marzano tomatoes at Fresh Market.

If you made it this far I congratulate you on your patience and diligence. Tomorrow we will return to our regularly scheduled programming.